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| Criterion | ![]() Decision Making Constraint Analysis | ![]() Decision Making Decision Tree | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When an initiative stalls, the limit often lies not in the idea but in hard or soft boundary conditions. Constraint Analysis separates these limits and shows which of them can actually be shaped. | For decisions with follow-on paths and dependencies, a linear comparison is often not enough. A Decision Tree shows how options branch under conditions and which consequences hang on each branch. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 30-90 min | 45-90 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-8 | 1-6 | 3-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Constraint List, Hard/Soft Classification, Option Impact Notes, Decision Boundaries | Decision Tree, Option Map, Assumption List | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | ConstraintsDecisionPlanningOptions | DecisionTreeOptions | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |



